CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Justin Anderson helped Virginia shake off a lethargic start, leading the Cavaliers with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists in a 57-43 win over Northern Iowa on Saturday.

Virginia and Northern Iowa misfired early and often, but the Cavaliers (8-3) took control early in the second half. The Panthers (5-6) had to call a timeout only 2:20 into the second half after a Darion Atkins dunk and a London Perrantes jumper pushed Virginia to a 25-16 lead.

Both teams were playing their first game in a week, and the win broke a two-game losing streak for Virginia.

Seth Tuttle led Northern Iowa with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Wes Washpun added nine points and five assists.

The Cavaliers scored only one basket in the first 6:48 of the game and yet never trailed. As much as Virginia struggled to score, Northern Iowa matched their misses, failing to score until Tuttle converted on a drive at the 15:41 mark.

The ugly shooting continued much of the first half.

With 6:48 left in the half, Virginia was up 10-7, with both teams combining to shoot 7 of 39 for 17.9 percent up to that point.

The Cavaliers mounted a short rally at the 6-minute mark, though, as Malcolm Brogdon, London Perrantes and Anderson hit consecutive 3-pointers to push Virginia's lead to 19-9 with 4:43 remaining.

Following a 30-second timeout, Northern Iowa cut into the Cavaliers' lead and got to within 19-16 on a 3-point shot by freshman guard Jeremy Morgan at the 2:53 mark.

A 3-pointer from the wing by Anderson with 14:14 left in the second half pushed the Cavaliers to a 13-point lead. Northern Iowa got to within seven points on a Deon Mitchell drive with 7:01 remaining, but Virginia responded immediately with a Brogdon 3-pointer on the next possession.

Joe Harris contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Cavaliers, who shot 37.7 percent from the field.

Northern Iowa was held to 31.7 percent shooting and hit only 10.5 percent (2 of 19) of its 3-pointers.